Backlund.
Late at night, in a small alleyway on a street in the East Borough, sewage flowed, garbage was thrown everywhere, and the smell was nauseating.
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
Two consecutive screams shattered the sleep of nearby residents, as well as a drunk passing outside the alley.
The miserable cries sounded as if someone was being tortured. The alley, already dark and narrow, became even more terrifying.
Some nearby residents chose to call the police. After waiting for around two hours, the police station less than 1,000 meters away finally sent two officers to check.
They had batons at their waists, guns in their right hands, flashlights in their left. Complaining with irritation, they muttered, "It's the middle of the night, instead of sleeping they're calling the police. Can't whatever happened wait until tomorrow?"
Complaint aside, since they were already here, they needed to give a report to their superiors.
Soon, they walked deeper into the alley. Near a trash can, a heavy smell of blood hit them. Under the flashlight beam, fresh blood was still slowly flowing from two mangled corpses.
What was most disgusting was that both corpses had their chests ripped open, intestines and organs, liver, lungs, heart, all dug out.
The victims' eyes were wide open, full of terror.
The two officers forced down the urge to vomit, glanced briefly, then immediately ran out of the alley and returned to the station to report.
As for securing the crime scene? No one wanted to stay in that cursed place longer than necessary.
....
The next morning, Xio walked into Fors' bedroom holding a newspaper, looking mysterious.
"Something happened. Last night, two corpses were found in the East Borough. The way they died… it's tragic beyond words."
As Xio spoke, she handed the newspaper to Fors.
Fors asked curiously, "Isn't Backlund famous for people dying all the time? Why are you so interested in this case today?"
"Do you remember last time when I told you that Mr. A issued a bounty to find the Followers of the Stars? Those two people gave false information trying to scam the bounty, so they were brutally killed by Mr. A's people."
Xio looked frightened. She had once considered doing the same, but quickly rejected the idea.
Offending someone like Mr. A was far too unwise.
If she hadn't resisted temptation, the people who died last night might have been her.
After reading the newspaper, Fors asked with even more curiosity, "The article doesn't mention who the killer was. How do you know those two were killed by Mr. A's subordinates?"
"Because Mr. A spread the news himself. He wanted to warn everyone."
"Oh." Fors nodded lightly, feeling faintly uneasy. The crazier Mr. A acted, the more scared she became.
"Sigh, I wonder where that Follower of the Stars is hiding. If I could find them, I'd get a huge bounty."
Fors thought for a moment and said, "I think that bounty is terrifying. Just give up."
"Yeah, I already gave up. I'll just leave it to fate."
"??"
Fors looked at Xio, confused. Xio smiled and said: "Right now, almost every wild Beyonder in Backlund knows Mr. A is searching for the Stars' followers. Even official organizations have started investigating. The competition is too big. I doubt I'll ever get a chance."
"Ah?"
Fors' expression changed slightly. It was already spread that widely?
Doesn't that mean every Beyonder in Backlund is looking for her?
"Fors, what's wrong? Your face looks pale."
"N-nothing. I'm just wondering why Mr. A wants to make such a big fuss out of this."
Xio answered naturally, "Because he can't find that follower. So he's taking extreme measures. Mr. A is truly insane. I should stay away from him in the future."
"I see." Only then did Fors secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
....
Bravehearts Bar.
In the billiards room, Maric and Hastur were playing pool.
Hastur wasn't good at the game, but with his barbarian physique and luck, he played evenly with Maric.
Mainly because Maric wasn't very skilled either.
With the final shot sinking into the pocket, Maric won. His face showed smug satisfaction, chin slightly raised. "Hastur, you really need to practice more."
Hastur only smiled without speaking. He had deliberately missed shots earlier, giving Maric a chance to catch up and win.
It was a form of bribery.
By deliberately exposing one's shortcomings to highlight the other's excellence, letting them feel praised without embarrassment, thus achieving the purpose of a bribe.
For example, when a subordinate plays chess with his superior, he can hold his ground at first, but at the critical moment, deliberately makes a mistake so his superior wins.
Afterward, his superior, delighted, will even point out where the mistake was and how the subordinate could have won.
The subordinate will show regret and admiration, praising the senior endlessly.
Maric had no idea and was happily celebrating his victory.
Hastur felt this arrangement was perfect, Maric was happy, and he could use the emotional shift to help digest his potion.
Maric, in great spirits, looked at Hastur with satisfaction, thinking he should play with him more often.
"Want to play a few more rounds? This time I'll raise the stakes and win back the 20 pounds I lost earlier."
Hastur initiated the challenge. The bribe was already completed; now he didn't mind showing Maric what cruelty meant.
"Don't be stubborn. Be careful you don't lose even more." Maric agreed arrogantly.
Then, Maric lost three games in a row. He stared blankly at his cue, believing something must be wrong with it.
"Reality can be cruel sometimes, Maric. You need to learn to accept it."
"..." Maric put down the cue and sat in silence, drinking gloomily. Hastur also poured himself a drink, sipping contentedly.
After a few glasses, Maric gradually recovered from the defeat. At that moment, Sharon's voice floated over.
"You only won earlier because he let you."
Both Maric and Hastur froze.
"He enjoys watching you get all smug, then crushing you."
Sharon sat down in the empty seat beside Hastur, calmly adding another blow.
"Hastur!" Maric stood up, glaring dangerously. One wrong move and he would attack.
"Ahem, don't listen to Sharon. You definitely won with your own strength. I didn't hold back at all," Hastur said quickly.
"You were bribing Maric earlier, weren't you?" Sharon dissected the lie with one sentence.
"... Sharon, when did you even come here?" Hastur quickly changed the subject.
"Heh, Hastur, we need to talk." Maric put his arm around Hastur's shoulder and dragged him toward a side room. A dozen living corpses followed.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
After a burst of noise, Hastur and Maric returned to the billiards room, both with bruises.
"A barbarian's fist is really heavy," Maric muttered, rubbing his nose.
"You actually used a group attack. You have no honor," Hastur complained. Without using Beyonder abilities, he could easily beat Maric, but not Maric and a dozen corpses.
After this interruption, Maric finally spoke about the real business tonight.
"Recently, many people in Backlund are searching for the so-called Followers of the Stars. There have already been more than ten bloody cases, and several powerful Beyonders died because of this."
Hastur frowned. "It's gotten that serious?"
"Some people are pushing it from behind. They deliberately start killings to amplify the influence."
"Aren't they afraid the official organizations and the orthodox churches will target them?"
"The Seven Churches are also offering huge bounties now. They want to find the followers too."
Hastur laughed. "I really don't understand how one follower of the Stars could attract so many factions."
Maric's tone was low. "Before this chaos started, Sharon and I received a commission related to this. But later, it was canceled."
Hastur only needed a moment to guess: the commission must have come from Bernadette.
And it was cancelled because Bernadette herself was now a true follower of the Stars.
"These messy things shouldn't have anything to do with me, right?"
Hastur was confused. Why were Maric and Sharon being so serious? Did they find something out?
Maric's expression turned heavy. "Originally, it had nothing to do with you. But recently, we discovered that someone has been secretly collecting information about you."